The county industrial authority plans to open bids for the Hwy. 29 North water line project on Oct. 1.

IDA executive director Marvin White said the board, depending on bid prices, may have to seek an additional $200,000 - $300,000 in additional funding from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) to complete the project.

White explained that prices for ductile iron pipe have increased dramatically. White noted that on previous projects of this size, the IDA was able to pay for the pipe’s purchase and installation for less than the cost of just the pipe itself in today’s market.

The board voted last month to accept a $1.5 million loan/grant package to install water lines along Hwy. 29 North from Danielsville to the Franklin County line.

White said the Authority hopes to pick up 75 to 100 water customers along this route. More importantly, this line will connect the county with neighboring Franklin County on two fronts; Madison County is already connected to the city of Royston with the Harrison water line loop on Hwy. 281.

The GEFA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan/grant package includes a $450,000 “forgivable loan” (grant). The IDA has agreed to repay the $1,050,000 balance over 20 years at an interest rate of 2.13 percent.

White said the IDA was approved for up to $1.5 million in loan money, so should be able to obtain the additional funding from GEFA, if necessary.

In other business, the IDA billed 844 water customers in August, who used 7,928,180 gallons of water.

Somebody please do the math before doing this project. Potential customers 100, say 20.00 per month = 24,000 annually. 1,050,000 at 2.13 interest = 22,365 annually. Now unless this thing is maintenance free we are going to lose money on this IDA project. Think before spending more money on unnecessary projects.

The Industrial Development Authority is tasked with, well, indutrial development in order to bring jobs to this county and to add taxation revenue to our coffers to take some of the burden of property taxes off homeowners. It is not expected that current customers will support this water project alone. It's a build-it-and-they-will-come project. Let's hope they come and soon.

I believe Madison county should have developed water resources in the Hull area(long ago) and around the cities where businesses would be more likely to locate, but shake my head when I'm driving thru the sparsely populated countryside that is now dotted with hydrants in cow pastures. Neese-Commerce road comes to mind.
Should savvy investors be buying up pasture land for commercial development?
Would residents in these rural areas encourage commercial businesses to locate there?
Does the county have a Master Plan for development,or,are the grants that are available just too tempting to pass up?

Gosh Virginia I forgot about all those jobs that this development authority has gotten for our county. We need jobs in our county and even good times jobs seemed not plentiful. So lets John Citizen pay for this until we get industry in to pay for it. Get real this is why our National debt so high.

Why can't businesses run off of well water, mine does? If that is all that it takes to bring a business to the county just offer them a free well and filtration system. That should save us taxpayer's about a million or so.

That is exactly what is going to happen. The Commission is going to let Marvin White put us in the same shape as the United States. I cannot find where he got all this authority to begin with. What is/has the Industrial Development Authority have to do with water? Madison County has pretty much been in good fiscal shape with our 'pay as we go' method. There is only so much money to go around and it is stretched pretty thin right now. What is going to happen in the end is a raise in tax rates and have everyone in the county upset. Run White and all his hand-picked 'friends' off.

If they are doing something wrong, please let us know what that is so we can remedy it! Otherwise, aim your displeasure at the county commission who created the Industrial Development Authority. Maybe we can't afford such development but then such development is exactly what will keep your tax rates low so what do you want?

As to water, what good-sized, stable company is going to locate a business where they have to sink a well and build a water treatment plant. Maybe Caterpillar could do that but even companies like that will choose to locate where there are already water facilities and other infrastructure that they need, like road access, plenty of utility services like electricity, natural gas, communications, security forces, not to mention a quality lifestyle for their employees.

You people....the man/committee is trying to update our water and sewage system to accommodate business for future growth. People in this county do not want to see change or movement. Guess what, it's going to happen anyway. The property owners are tired of paying all of the bills in this county. Ingles is our only source of income and wait until Kroger comes to town behind Burger King on Highway 29. Why can't we get a Kroger? Because we do not have the demographics for this type of grocery store. Let the man do his job and stop complaining.

Maybe you're not from around here...
I agree that infrastructure improvments are necessary to attract new businesses, but the track record for development outside the cites is terrible. If it's not a farm, it gets shot down by the commissioners because the local folks don't want businesses (other than farms)in their communities.
"You people" should look it up.

Why do we need a Kroger? We have Ingles. You can add more stores, but the same people buying the same groceries = the same amount of tax dollars collected by 1 store as 20...we're better off with just 1.

Madison County already has a highly successful industry here called FARMING and AGRICULTURE. We need to focus on keeping the farming and ag thriving, and to do that, we need to not try to become like the hellholes Gwinnett, Oconee or Athens-Clarke have become. Not much farming or ag industry in those places, just a bunch of houses in foreclosure and empty big box stores costing taxpayers HUGE sums of money.

Agree. Protect our farms. Don't want to end up an upside down foreclosure nightmare like Oconee or Gwinnett. Family farms are why Madison County's economy is just fine compared with so many other counties that kissed developer's butts that are now broke.

Well put, Reader. We will likely never have major business growth, always stuck in the farming mode. Not a bad thing, but if an opportunity comes along, hope we are ready. Give the IDA some latitude and see what happens. Funny how folks want to trash IDA and others, but seldom step up to offer solid suggestions to improve this county or lower our taxes. Kinda like a barking dog with no teeth.

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